Unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) comprise a variety of vehicles, from conventional fixed wing airplanes, to helicopters, to ornithopters (i.e., machines that fly like birds), and are used in a variety of roles. They can be remotely piloted by a pilot on the ground or can be autonomous or semi-autonomous vehicles that fly missions using preprogrammed coordinates, GPS navigation, etc. UAVs can include remote control helicopters and airplanes for the hobbyist, for example.
UAVs can be equipped with cameras to provide imagery during flight, which may be used for navigational or other purposes, e.g., identify a house address, etc. UAVs can also be equipped with sensors to provide local weather and atmospheric conditions, radiation levels, and other conditions. Depending on the type, UAVs can also use conventional fixed wing flight (e.g., remote control planes) or can include vertical takeoff and landing (VTOL) capabilities (e.g., helicopters and other rotorcraft).
Unfortunately, conventional wind tunnels provide air flow in only one direction. Thus, for rotorcraft and other UAVs capable of VTOL and multi-dimensional flight, the conventional wind tunnel provides limited test data. The ability to test UAVs in multi-dimensional flight in wind tunnels can reduce costs and development time and improve UAV flight controls, avionics, and navigation, among other things.